In The Family
by Regency
Summary: When Abbey's estranged sister, Sienna, abandons her children with Jed and Abbey, can they adjust to having two new children in their life? And how will they ensure the children's safety when Sienna comes to take them back?
1. Sister Dear is here

Author: Regency

Title: In The Family

Spoiler/Season: None/This has no place in canon. Zoey's thing hasn't happened, but reelection isn't really a point. Just tuck this wherever you feel warranted.

Summary: When Abbey's estranged sister, Sienna, abandoned her children with Jed and Abbey, can they adjust to having two new children in their life? What about when she wants the children back? What secret do Jed and Abbey have up their sleeve to insure that that doesn't happen?

Disclaimer: I don't own the premise of 'The Unexpected Family.' Nor the characters of TWW. The others belong to me.

_wwww_

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, outside it was. Inside the high walls of the imposing Residence, it was warm, even a little stuffy. Abbey thought so, but tried not to fan herself while she surrounded by these people. She smiled and took a casual sip of her warm champagne. She hated warm champagne. She couldn't see a steward anywhere and pretending to be so engaged in this conversation robbed her of any chance to find one.

Just as her name's called, she was saved from an embarrassing moment when her husband passed near her and met her eyes to signal that it was their time to end the evening. She nodded and excused herself from her quorum with a sigh and a hallelujah. She couldn't stand those women. And people said that Abbey was a dilettante.

She took his proffered arm and walked beside him to the head of the room. She couldn't wait to go to bed.

She looked around patiently as Jed toasted the evening and thanked a bunch of people he wouldn't remember in the morning for coming. Out of the corner of her eye a familiar silhouette caught her attention. She jerked her head around as it occurred to her. It was her sister. Sienna, realizing she's been caught, lifted her chin discreetly from the side of the room. She was wearing some gown Abbey had given her a few years back and it just fit.

One would have been surprised how little she and Abbey resembled one another. Her eyes were a muddy brown while Abbey's were a wiling greenish-hazel and sometimes-gold. Her lips were long and slim where Abbey's, like Cupid's bow with the bottom full and pouty while the top dipped in the middle and turned up at the ends just so. She had always envied her sister's smile. The only things they had in common were a pair of killer legs and the softest alabaster skin you'd ever lay your hands on. She was lucky enough to get their mother's nose, though it does little for her. Jed said that Abbey's nose gave her character. Sienna could've used a bit of that.

Abbey tugged on Jed's coat sleeve and tipped her head to her sister. He nodded, but didn't halt his toast. Abbey weaved through the crowd separating them and stopped in front of her sister.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet your big sister?" Abbey only narrowed her eyes in response. "Come now, Abbey, surely the past is water under the bridge."

"Surely. What do want?"

"Can't a girl come see her little sister just to see how she is?" She rolled her eyes.

"You wanna see how I am, turn on CNN. You want a favor, come in person. You," she pointed to her sister darkly. "Want something from me…" She groaned as the truth crystallized. "Or you want something from my husband. You want something from Jed. What is it?"

"I'm disappointed in you, Abbey. He, who has not sinned, cast the first stone." She rolled her eyes again.

"You are the last one that needs to quote the bible at me. I should be quoting it at you. You are the one who needs God."

"Why thank you, Abigail, I didn't know you cared."

"I really don't, but you're here now and I don't want you making a scene as you have a habit of doing."

"Oh, Abbey"

"Bite me."

"Mother would have your hide for speaking like that."

"Don't make me laugh, sister dear, mother turns in her grave over the things you say just when you're speaking to yourself."

"I didn't come here to be abused."

"Then, why did you come?"

"I need a favor." Abbey sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Now, the truth comes out. Let's go. We'll meet Jed upstairs." She took Sienna's hand and pulled her out of the side door as Jed finished his toast and wished every one a good night.

_wwww_

Abbey sat Sienna down in the Sitting Room and warned her not to touch anything. Her sister had sticky fingers. That's how they'd lost their first Steuben glass pitcher.

"You shouldn't treat me like a child, Abbey."

"You shouldn't act like a child, Sienna."

"I do not act like a child." The whining tone in her voice didn't escape her sister. And it certainly didn't help her case.

"Do you ever just listen to yourself talk? You should. You'd hear what the rest of us hear and you'd do us all a favor and keep quiet."

"Could you please save your diatribe for someone who gives a damn?" Abbey turned away from her sister's belittling stare and poured herself a drink.

"Would you like a drink?"

"You're offering?" Abbey restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Her mother had warned her about rolling her eyes. '_One day, they'll get stuck that way.'_

"Yes, Si-Si, I'm offering."

"You haven't called me Si-Si in years." She paused to think of them as little girls. Though, it pained her to admit it, there was a picture of them in her study back in Manchester. She never went through there without stopping to look at it. Those were the days.

"You haven't been around in years."

"I know. It was just that after mom…I got lost."

"And you haven't been found since," Abbey muttered to herself.

"You can't look down on me, Abs. You've done your fair share of things that mother wouldn't be proud of. Giving up your hard-earned license for a man. Mother would think that you'd thrown away everything she'd ever taught us."

"At least, I had a license to give away. You never even tried. You say that it was after mom died that you got lost, but you were never anywhere. You have to have been somewhere to be found. And certainly found to be lost."

"There you go, again. Talking in riddles, and proverbs, and verse. You think you're so much better than me, because you've found your holier-than-thou God boy." Abbey whirled around and threw an accusing look at her older sister.

"Hey, you say what you want, but Jed has never beaten me. He has never raised a hand that was not loving and gentle to me. How many of your one-night-stands can you say that about?" Sienna shifted in her wing-backed chair. "Any, Si-Si? No, I didn't think so. And, another thing, as long as you live, don't you dare speak down to me about my husband. He is a thousand times better in his sleep than you are when you live in the day."

"And you wonder why I stayed gone? This is why." Abbey stared down at Sienna disdainfully.

"This? This is why? I don't think this is why." She turned away, her sister's ancient, but blatant betrayal still burning fresh on her heart. "Did you want that drink?"

"Yes. Scotch, a double." Abbey poured her drink and refilled her own drained glass.

She handed the drink over as Jed slipped in. At first, he didn't see Sienna. He leaned over and kissed Abbey instinctively. Her eyes fluttered shut as she forgot her sister for a moment. The odd woman out cleared her throat. They didn't notice and Jed pulled his wife closer, placing his hands on her waist possessively. She smacked her tumbler down on the mahogany end table and the canoodling couple broke apart. The younger Barrington narrowed her eyes at the intrusion. Jed narrowed his eyes in confusion. He knew this woman, but for a brief second, he couldn't place her. However, when he did he struggled not to have a similar reaction to Abbey's.

"Sienna."

"Jed."

"What brings you to our humble abode?" She sat forward in her chair.

"I have a favor to ask."

"A favor." He slid his eyes to Abbey momentarily, then back to Sienna. "What type of favor?"

"I need you to watch the kids for me." Even Abbey was taken aback at the magnitude and thoughtlessness of such a request.

"Are you kidding me, Sienna? Of all the thing you could come to us with…you have to nerve to come with this. How dare you?" Jed laid a calming hand on her shoulder and whispered her name softly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because, there's nowhere else for them to be and here is the best place for them. They'll be safe with you and taken care of." Abbey was too shocked to speak and threw up her hands in frustration before walking out the room in near tears of anger.

Jed had to curb his desire to go after her. He knew she needed to be alone right then. "What's going on, Sienna?"

"I have to go away for a while."

"You can't take the children?" He sat down in the chair across from her.

"It'd be easier if they weren't with me. Besides, we're always moving. They need a steady home." He nodded, understandingly.

"This is gonna sound pretty bad, but I don't remember you having another child."

"Yeah. Toby, my son. He's six." 'Good Lord, another Toby,' Jed thought to himself. Of all the things that would surely kill him…

"Six?"

"Yeah."

"The same way?" She hesitated before nodding. "Where's Reynold?"

"Waiting for me."

"You're going back to him?"

"He's my husband, Jed. He needs me. You have to understand that, if nothing else." He nodded again.

"I do, I do." 'I don't understand going back to a man who treats you like the crap on his shoes, but that's your prerogative, I suppose.' Jed was truly no fan of Reynold.

"So, what's it gonna be?" He inhaled deeply.

"I don't know. I've got to talk to Abbey first, but I would never turn family away." She exhaled in relief.

"Thank you so much." She threw her arms around him and he patted her back awkwardly.

"Don't thank me yet. This isn't a done deal yet." He pried her arms from around his neck and stepped away. "I have to talk to Abbey, so just stay here and I'll be back."

"Okay." He then hightailed it out of the room, because he had about as much tolerance for that woman as he did for republicans. And republicans won by a hair.

Josiah Bartlet did not like the tall grass…though somehow, it seemed that he was already two feet into it.


	2. She sends her love?

**Chapter 2**

Jed arrived in the kitchen to find Abbey sitting contemplatively on a stool at the counter. She was looking over her mug at something he couldn't see. He stopped suddenly when he saw exactly what.

Sitting at their kitchen table were two children. A vaguely familiar young girl and a small boy. The girl looked at Jed suspiciously with wise green eyes and a frown that refused to abate. Something seemed to click in her mind though and she rose from her seat like a shot and launched herself at him. With little time to brace himself, he spun her around to distribute the shock of her jump.

"Uncle Jed, Uncle Jed." He knew her immediately.

"Lesly?" She nodded into his shoulder. "My, oh my. Little Lesly, how you have grown." She grinned into his shoulder. "You're how old now?" She pulled her head away from his shoulder.

"Ten."

"Already?" She smiled and nodded. "My dear, you are nearly all grown up." Her smile grew and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked over her shoulder to the little guy slumped shyly in his chair. "Pumpkin, who's that you brought with you?"

"My brother, Toby. You never met him, huh?"

"No, not yet. Would you like to introduce us?" She nodded and wriggled down from his arms. She reached out to him gently and guided him to stand in front of Jed.

"Toby, this is our Uncle Jed and that lady over there is our Aunt Abbey." He followed her hands and she pointed out their hosts. "Uncle Jed and Aunt Abbey. Can you remember that?" He nodded slowly. She looked to her uncle apologetically. "Don't be mad at him, okay? He's kind of slow, 'cause mommy didn't take all her medicine when she was having him." Jed kneeled down to them and nodded, taking Toby's hand gently and giving it a squeeze.

Warm blue eyes met warm blue eyes and Jed's heart stopped because the law could say what the law would say, but in his heart he knew that this was his son. And a crooked smile on an unforgettable face made this girl Abbey's. And now, after all these tears and all these years, here they were. Their children, here to stay.

But only if he could convince Abbey.

He ruffled Toby's dirty blonde hair and thumbed a stain on his cheek. He grinned and clutched Jed's hand briefly before letting go and retaking a hold of his sister. He was the very image of Jed Bartlet as a boy. So mild and kind of heart. Even seeing him now made Jed feel robbed of the opportunity to watch his son grow up. To see both of his children grow up. Abbey's isolation from their reunion was a testament to the bitterness she still harbored towards the whole situation.

"I'm gonna talk to your Aunt Abbey for a second, okay? You wanna wait for me at the table?" Lesly nodded and led Toby back to sit. Jed stood up and dusted his knees off. "Abbey, could I talk to you outside for a moment?" She took another leisurely sip of her drink and glared at him knowingly.

"What for?" His voice deepened with his frustration.

"Abigail."

"What for, Jed? You've already decided that we're doing this, so why are we even talking about it?" Toby whimpered and covered his ears. Les held him to her sadly. She'd thought that things would be different with Uncle Jed. She'd prayed that they would be. All that was left was for them to hit each other. Then, things would be exactly the same. Love was supposed to be different in the big houses.

"Uncle Jed, please don't yell." Jed pursed his lips and nodded.

"Guys, you're going to be staying here for awhile." Beyond her resolve, Abbey smacked down her mug and rose to leave less than quietly. "Abigail." She didn't stop nor did she answer and she disappeared into the hall to find her sister. She'd be damned if she'd be forced to take responsibility for children she'd had taken from her in the first place.

She slammed the sitting room door open, only to encounter no one. She turned to the agents stationed outside for an answer.

"Did you see the woman in here, just now?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Where is she?"

"She left a few minutes ago."

"Did she say anything before she left?"

"She said to tell you to give the children her love." She narrowed her eyes angrily.

"To give them her love?" They both nodded carefully. "That bitch." They both manage to hide their reactions to her uncharacteristic use of profanity. "She just left?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"We wouldn't happen to know where to, would we?"

"No, ma'am."

"No, I wouldn't think so. My sister isn't known for leaving a forwarding address."

"Ma'am, would you like us to look for her?"

"No, no, she won't be found until she's ready. Whenever the hell that'll be." She clutched her skirts silently. "Thank you, Robert. Thank you, Austin. You've been a help." They nodded, though feeling guilty for not keeping Sienna from leaving. "Have a nice evening." They returned the sentiment softly and pretended not to hear her curse her sister's name as she stalked back to the elevator. "Selfish…cold, misguided…" She was nowhere near wrong.

She calmed and steeled herself before reentering the kitchen. Part of her melted as she saw Jed munching on milk and cookies with the children. Les was cuddled close to his side and Toby was sitting in his lap. They were listening with rapt attention as he told them a story about Zoey as a child.

"Zoey did that?"

"Oh, yes, she did."

"Can I meet her?"

"Of course, honey. I'm sure she'd love to visit you. I'll call her down myself."

"Cool."

"Cool," Toby parroted mildly. He had settled into Jed comfortably and didn't seem ready to let go.

"Yeah, cool," Jed said to himself. He looked up when he noticed Abbey's presence at the door. She was watching Toby with a concerned face. Though she hadn't been listening to Lesly earlier, she noted his blank expression and slow speech. Her ire towards her sister only rose as did her anger. This beautiful boy had been hurt by her sister before he was even born. That woman destroyed everything and everyone she touched.

She straightened up and smiled at them as they watched her warily. Since they were staying…

"Are you hungry?" They held up their cookies in response. "Now, that's not food. Real food. Shall we see what we have? Lesly, would you like to help me look?" She nodded hesitantly and accepted Abbey proffered hand. "Any idea what you'd like to eat?" She shook her head and looked over her shoulder at Jed. "Okay, well, let's see what's in here." She opened the fridge and encountered a lot of food that no child could pronounce much less eat. "Well, basically this is pasta with Chicken." The real name was French and she just wasn't going there.

"Do you like pasta, Toby?" He shrugged and hid his face in Jed's neck. "Okay, let's try something else. Ham sandwiches. How about that? Lesly?" She nodded shyly. "Toby." He didn't answer but curled into a ball and covered his face with his hands.

Jed gave him a tender squeeze and dropped a kiss to his hair. "Toby, what do you want to eat?" He mumbled into lap so that Jed couldn't hear. "What was that, punkin?"

"Peanut butter and jelly," he muttered.

"Well, peanut butter and jelly it is, then. Abbey, you want me to make it?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of Lesly here." She helped her hop onto the counter as she pulled various Tupperware boxes from the fridge and set them onto the counter. She peeked into the boxes and made faces. "Yeah, it doesn't look great in there, but that's why we have a microwave."

Her ears perked up. "You have a microwave?"

"Yeah." Her expression told a story. "You don't have one at home?" She shook her head embarrassedly. "Well, that's okay. You can use ours. Come on, hop down and we'll put this in."

As Abbey helped Les warm up her food, Jed showed Toby to best way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Now, you spread the margarine on the bread so that the jelly doesn't seep through. 'Kay?" He nodded with rapt attention. He laid one piece of bread on top of the other. "And voila! You want it cut?" He smiled. "Okay, across or in triangles?" He shrugged. "Triangles it is, then." He cut the sandwich and led mini-Tobus back to the table. "I'll get you some milk."

Les plopped down across from him and poked warily at her Angel Hair pasta. "Go ahead, honey, try it. It's better than it looks. You want some lemonade?"

"Yes, please." She poured the glass and set in next to her plate. Jed handed over the glass carefully and waited until he'd safely taken a drink to breathe again. Both children seemed to have healthy appetites and attacked their food with a vengeance.

Jed leaned over the counter to his wife rested his hand on hers. He mouthed, "Where's Sienna?" She shrugged. He frowned, not understanding. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. She wasn't up there. She left and said to send her love to the children."

He sighed angrily. "I told her I'd talk to you first. We're a united front, Abbey. If you didn't agree, they weren't staying."

"It doesn't matter now. They're here and we're responsible for them."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"They're not our children, Jed. They're not our responsibility. Our children are grown and on their own. What the hell are we going to do with two more children? We're too old for this." He pulled her closer by her arm.

"They are too young for this. They are too young to be shuffled around like their mother's been doing with them. They need somewhere stable to be, even if it's just for a while. They need us, Abigail." She kept her eyes averted.

"They're not ours."

"But they are."

"The law says otherwise."

"As a maker of the law, I say that law is wrong. Look at those children, Abigail Ann. Look at them and tell me you don't see yourself in Lesly. Look at Toby and tell me you don't see me. Do it. Just do it." She gave the munching little ones a sideways glance and shook her head.

"I can't."

"Then why can't you take this opportunity, this gift that your sister has given us and love them while they're here? We may never get another chance like this."

"That's why," she hissed furiously. "Because, any day now, whatever she's got going is gonna fall to pieces and she'll be back at our doorstep and she's going to take them back. And it's going to break my heart." She paused to take a shuddering breath. "I've ached for them, Jed. I've ached for Lesly and I never even knew Toby existed. I ached for my children. We did her a favor and she took advantage of that. We did something only family does. She destroyed that trust. Just like she's destroying these children. I won't let her destroy us, too. You know what will happen when she walks out of our lives with them again. It will kill you and you know it will. And yet, you still take the risk."

"Yes, I do, because that's what parenthood is. If she keeps bringing them back; I'll keep loving them. And, of course, losing them will hurt me, but I can't do anything else. And neither can you."

"Oh, I can do something else." He stood up straight and dropped her hand.

"And what is that?"

"I can not get attached. Because, with my sister, anything goes and nothing is constant. The law may be wrong, but those children aren't ours. And she will take them back. She's welcomed to them." She waved to the children and headed upstairs to set up a guest room.

"You're really that bitter?" She stopped and seemed to think about it before turning back to look at him.

"I really am." Hearing only his silence, she left the kitchen, and wandered wordlessly down the hall with her skirts still clutched in her fists.


	3. No one touches her children

**Chapter 3**

Abbey stepped out of the steamy bathroom, expecting to find her husband waiting, but instead met an empty bed. She dried off hastily and slipped into a set of Jed's deep blue pajamas. She peeked out into the hall and didn't see him. Coop lifted his chin towards the guest room a little ways down from theirs. She padded barefoot over the lush carpet and stopped outside the door. She wiggled her toes in the plush and waited. And listened.

If she concentrated just so, she could hear Jed's honeyed voice through the door. She rested her palm against the wood and surmised that she could feel the vibrations through there. Jed's laugh rose above the silence in the corridor. One of the children must have said something funny.

"And that is the end." They both "awed."

Well, Lesly "awed" and Toby copied in his soft way.

Abbey smiled despite herself and stepped back as Jed clicked off the light and headed towards the door. She hurried back to their room and hopped into bed before he came in. She pretended to read the book she'd picked from his side of the bed, but couldn't quite pull it off; one, without her glasses. And two, without knowing what language it was in. Whatever it was, she was sure no one living spoke it.

"What is with you and your damned dead languages?" She looked up to see him perched on the edge of the bed, untying his shoes.

"They're interesting."

"They're tiresome." He smiled and rolled off his socks.

"Only to those who don't understand them." She narrowed her eyes at him and closed the book, leaving the dark red silk ribbon in place.

"How are they?" He shrugged and started to removed his tux. "You don't know. You just spent the last hour with them and you don't know?"

"I just spent the last hour feeding them, bathing them, and putting them to bed. There's only so much you can learn between burps, bubbles, and yawns. They're small children, Abbey. Children who've just been abandoned and misplaced." He inhaled thoughtfully and dropped his pants. "For what they've gone through, they're doing remarkably well." She snorted as he stood there.

"Yeah, I bet. Jed, put on your pajamas and come to bed. We're going to need to talk about this in the morning."

"Yeah." He started to amble towards the closet, but tripped over his pants, which he'd forgotten to step out of.

"Oops," she said out loud and covered her mouth as he launched daggers at her with his eyes. "Sorry. You are tired. Babe, just take off the shirt and I'll let you have the bottoms from my pajamas."

"They'd fit?" She beamed.

"They're yours."

"Abbey!" She shrugged guilelessly.

"Share and share alike, Jed." She patted his spot beside her. He disposed of the rest of his tux until he was left in just his boxers and undershirt. He stood on his side and held his hands out for the pants. She held up her hand for him to wait and shimmied under the covers. He watched with interest as she wiggled about. Finally, she produced his bottoms. "There you go, babe. Now get in bed." He slipped them on and did just that.

She snuggled up to his front and gave him a kiss he wasn't expecting. He reached out and took her hand. "What is it?" She shook her head. Now wasn't the time.

"Tomorrow, Jed. Tomorrow."

"Okay." He pulled her closer and rested a hand on her thigh. She laid her hand on his chest and kissed his chin before settling into his shoulder. "Tomorrow," he thought as he drifted off after her.

That night they slept peacefully for a few hours until around 4:30 in the morning. All of the sudden, a shrill scream filled the air and jerked Abbey and Jed out of their joint slumber.

The both leapt out of bed and hurried down the hall to the room the children were supposed to be asleep in. The agents rushed in before Jed and Abbey reached the door. The screaming intensified until Abbey had to cover her ears. Jed moved in between the agents and waved them away as he saw what was happening.

A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. From the sounds of it, Toby's nightmare. He went over to the bed the children were sharing and took the screaming boy into his arms.

"Hey, hey. It's all right. It's just a dream. That's all. It's not real." All the same, Toby clung to Jed's undershirt as he mumbled and rocked. "Les, what happened?" She sat up with her arms wrapped around herself self-consciously.

"He was having a bad dream. I tried to wake him it up, but started screaming and he wouldn't be quiet." She was rambling her way to hysteria. "I tried to tell him to be quiet, Uncle Jed, but he wouldn't be quiet." He waved his hand in an attempt to calm her. "I didn't want him to wake you up."

"It's okay." He put on arm out to her. "Come here, honey." She crawled over the covers and hid her face from the agents still searching the room. "Guys, I think everything's all right. We've got it from here." The lead agent agreed.

"Yes, sir." They filed out, leaving Abbey watching from the door. She longed to join Jed in consoling the children. Her heart ached for it, but her mind knew better. She couldn't get attached. She knew that Besides, it seemed like Jed had things well in hand. Painfully, she pulled herself away and went back to their bedroom, though she knew she'd find no peace waiting for her there.

Toby was still crying and Les was scared out of her mind that they'd be put out. Jed was furious. He couldn't help but wonder what in the world would make these children so afraid. When he questioned Les about the cause of her brother's night terrors, Les confessed guiltily.

"When we lived with momma, her boyfriend used to come in at night and wake us up." He halted in dismay.

"Would he do things to you when he woke you up?" She didn't answer. He pulled Toby away so that he could see his face. "Toby, did that man hurt you?" His lips moved, but not sound came out. "Toby, did he hurt you or your sister?" He began to mumble as the trauma was revived anew.

"Bad Toby. Bad Toby. Bad Toby. Bad Toby." He started to hit himself on the head with his tiny fists. "Bad Toby! Bad Toby!" He hit himself until he cried. "Bad Toby. Bad Toby," he sobbed to himself. Jed rocked them with their heads pressed together.

"You're not bad, baby. You're good. You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing." He hugged them in his arms, trying to give them all the love they'd missed. "Neither of you, and as long as I have you in my home and in my arms, you will never be hurt. I won't have it. No one here will have it. No one. We love you. We all love you." He kissed the tops of their heads, his tears soaking their hair.

"Even Aunt Abbey?" He nodded.

"Especially Aunt Abbey." He looked over his shoulder and saw the doorway empty. As much as he understood Abbey's resistance, he didn't know how much more of this he could stand without her help. He was no substitute for a mother's touch, their mother's touch. They deserved nothing less. "She loves you so much that it hurts her to see you. That's how bright her love shines for you."

"How bright," asked Lesly.

"As bright as the sun, sweetheart. As bright as the sun." She nodded as if that was something that made sense to her and tightened her arms around he and her brother. She didn't know much about the sun, but she did know that it burned long and it burned bright. She was also certain that no matter where in the world you went, somewhere it would always burn. So that meant that Abbey's love would always burn. Unfortunately, it burned her and it burned them.

They sat together until the light came back to the sky outside their windows. There was a knock at the door and Abbey stuck her head back in to let Jed know that his wake-up call had come. She halted when she saw the scene laid out before her. His shoulders were slumped, though she could see that he was awake.

"Jed." He didn't respond. "Honey, it's time to get up." He raised his head and heaved a sigh in mourning for the night. "Hey." He didn't look at her.

"Hey." She came up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. She looked down on the slumbering children with a frown.

"Why didn't you come to bed last night?" He leaned his head back against her and looked up into her eyes. His eyes were red and puffy from tears that still threatened to fall. "What is it?" His breath caught in a sob and he looked away. "What happened?"

"Someone hurt them, Abbey. Someone hurt them bad." She stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"Who?"

"Sienna's boyfriend. He used to come into their room at night and…" His voice cracked and those tears that had only threatened before dripped down his face.

"That's why he had that nightmare?"

"That's why." Her eyes darkened and she flushed in rage.

"She let this happen? She let him stay there and hurt our babies? She let him abuse them? No. She won't get away with this."

"How are we gonna find her?" She rested her cheek against his forehead.

She shrugged absently. "I don't know. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Why should I? What good could come from her return? In fact, I'm not going to look for her. You were right, Jed. We're these kids' best and only chance. I am going to keep these children safe; we are going to keep them safe. And when she comes back, she's gonna get the surprise of her life."

"What?" Her eyes sparkled somewhat deviously.

"We're not giving them back. We're going to keep them. We're going to love them. And we're going to raise them as our own, like we should have all along. The hell with what the law says. We don't get to make excuses for Sienna anymore, Jed. This," she gestured to their quorum, "is what matters now."

"I couldn't agree more. Sit with us."

"All right." She took a seat beside to him and pulled a serene Lesly into her embrace. Though asleep, the gangly wraith went willingly. Abbey stroked her long dark hair lovingly. "I'm here, now. I won't let go. I love you and you're safe. That horrible man won't get his hands on you or your brother ever again. I'll kill him before I let that happen." That was no idle threat. Her Hippocratic Oath aside, her instincts as a mother won out without question. Should their paths ever cross, should she ever see him, she couldn't be held responsible for what she did.

No one touched her children.

No one.


	4. It all makes sense now

**Chapter 4**

Abbey stroked the brush through Lesly's hair, silently counting out the strokes through her hair. They both tried to not to grin too much since Abbey hadn't done this in years and this was Les's first time. She'd never been mothered before and she didn't want an experience like that to end. Abbey twisted the girl's silky tresses into a French braid and tied it off with a forest green ribbon in the form of a bow.

Les held her head up proudly and surveyed her mother's work. She grinned and thanked Abbey warmly. Since the moment she had woken up in her mother's arms, the bond they had shared when she was small had returned full force and stronger than ever. They had been inseparable from then on. She has taken full run of Abbey's office from her place on the couch. Well, not full run. But she did have her wants catered to. Abbey could barely say no to the girl. The press went crazy the moment the ladies had hit daylight to shop. '_Who was this girl_,' they asked excitedly. '_Why was she with the First Lady,' _they asked. Lesly was nearly blind from camera flashes by the time they returned home.

Their day was hectic compared to the light day Jed had endured with Toby tagging happily along behind him. He had signed a bill with a quickly-suited Toby peaking from behind an agent's legs. As soon as the questions started and the cameras, he'd lunged for Jed and hidden his pale face in his father's chest. Jed smiled understandingly and fielded the questions protectively, giving absolutely nothing away. '_Who is that'_ had garnered little more than a tolerant smile and a _'Thank you for coming. Here's a pen. Have a nice day now.'_ Despite offers from those around him, he kept a tight hold on Toby and let them take their pictures. He wasn't answering questions. Period.

Toby hung off his neck like a monkey and squealed when Jed poked him in the side with a pen. Jed looked at him slyly and asked him what was wrong with him. The mini-he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but didn't let go. This time, he poked him from the other side with his finger. He giggled, but glared a little more.

"Quit it."

"Quit what?"

"You know," he mumbled up close. Jed shrugged innocently.

"Whatever do you mean, hmm?"

"You know."

"I know quite a lot, don't I?" It was Toby's turn to shrug. "I take offense." Toby smiled his mother's smile.

"Tough." Before Jed could take his amusement out on his sensitive sides, he scrambled out of the President's lap and ran to hide behind Leo. Leo, being one of the few who knew just who this kid was, rolled his eyes and stepped aside. Toby gruffed and met head-on with his namesake's knees. He fell backwards and looked up into Toby's dark eyes. They sat there for a moment and took stock of one another. They both found themselves satisfied with their appraisals and the elder one reached down to help the younger one up.

"What's your name?" He straightened his shoulders and firmed his jaw, looking for all the world like a small Leader of the Free World.

"Toby." He stroked his beard thoughtfully and gave him a more thorough once over.

"That's my name, too."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow." He put his small hand out in official greeting. Toby took his hand and shook it with gentle firmness. "Nice to meet you, Toby." They both paused for a moment. Two Toby's. That was gonna take some getting used to. They let go at the same time and Little Toby stepped away hesitantly. He peeked over his shoulder and grinned, showing his gap-toothed smile. The Elder Toby had no choice, but to smile back. The President was right there.

"Unca Jed, can I go see Au't Abbey?" He turned his advantage onto his father pleadingly. Jed was helpless against his own best feature. He rolled his eyes and the small one was certain that he'd won this fight.

"Yes, you can go see your Aunt Abbey. I'm sure she'd love to see you." He nodded matter-of-factly. Like there was a question. "Promise you'll come back though?" He nodded affirmatively. Of course. Jed was Daddy. "Okay." He kneeled down and kissed his blonde-smattered forehead. "Go ahead." He trotted away behind Milo, who led the way to the East Wing.

Jed stood up and dusted himself off. "Guys, here's the day. What's next?"

Toby looked at the large works of art that covered the walls along the halls on his way. They were all easily twice his size. He managed to overlook the stares that latched themselves to his person as he passed. There were four agents all around him, so close around his person that, at times, their swinging arms nearly touched.

When he arrived at Abbey's office, he stopped at her executive assistant's desk and waited patiently to be acknowledged. The first thing Sondra noticed wasn't the darling boy at attention in front of her but the imposing agents that had accompanied him. She looked to each one before figuring that they had to be there for something.

"Can I help you?" Milo tipped his head down towards the empty place between them. She leaned over the desktop and met a pair of cerulean blues. "Well, hello."

"Hello."

"Can I help you?" He nodded politely and stepped forward.

"I'd like to see my Au't Abbey." His eyes widened when realized he'd forgotten something. "Please."

"Of course. May I call her first to let her know you're coming?"

"Yes, ma'am." She smiled warmly at the little stranger. He was so polite. She picked up the phone and pressed Abbey's line. "Mrs. Bartlet, it's Sondra. There's a little visitor here for you from the West Wing. Yes, ma'am. He is cute, about yea high. Quite familiar in fact. Yes, ma'am, I'll send him right in. Go ahead, sweetie." He grinned an executive grin and slipped past.

He peaked into the office to see his mother leaning over his sister. She waved him over and he leaped into her arms. She gave him a deep smooching kiss on the dimple. He breathed her in and sighed contentedly. "Hey, punkin."

"Hi." She patted his back soothingly and rocked him side to side. He took her face into his hands and rubbed his nose against hers playfully and chuckled when their noses scrunched up the same. "Missed you."

"Missed you, too." They shared a happy smile and pressed their foreheads together. "Wuv you."

"Wuv you." There was a rustling on the couch near the window. Abbey held a finger to her lips.

"Shh."

"Shh." She nodded and helped him down from her lap. He followed her to the couch to watch the familiar lump under an afghan emblazoned with the Presidential Seal. Just the top of Les's head peaked from underneath. He kneeled on the carpet next to her and poked his sister. Abbey sent him a sharp look, advising him '_not'_ to try that again. He looked away, feeling duly chastised.

Abbey tugged the afghan down little by little until Lesly's round porcelain face came into view. She exhaled lightly and writhed to find a dark place. Abbey deftly lifted her and settled beneath her to set her head on her lap. She nudged an errant tendril away from her forehead and found herself tracing the fading circles around her eyes. She began to count the sandy smudges on her cheeks that passed for freckles. 1, 2, 3, 4... There were so many. She was sidetracked from her census as Les's endless lashes flickered as her eyes moved rapidly in dreams. It was jarring to see so much of herself in another human being. Even in Zoey, who bore the strongest resemblance to her side of the family, the likeness was only passing. This was miraculous.

Her features were so gothic, dark and contrasting with her intense bottle green eyes, full peach lips, and round rosy cheeks. It was shameful to see what a life with Sienna had done to such a face. Her forehead bore the brunt of past distress with worry lines and one could number the crises she'd endured on the frown lines 'round her mouth, like tree rings; each counting out the days of her life. She was ancient beyond her years.

They both were. She tugged her boy down beside her and smoothed his unruly hair. His snub nose twitched in annoyance as he tried in vain to pat it down himself.

"Shh." He looked up at her with a confused scowl. She gathered him to her with her free arm, tickling his side slyly. "Sleep already."

"Not sleepy."

"Try." He huffed, but nonetheless relaxed into her side and closed his eyes. An unmistakable rhythm drummed just above his head and lulled him as it had soothed his sister just a bit before. From any other perspective, they were a perfect vision of mother and children, but to Toby, it wasn't quite so. Abbey had to wait for their loosed bond to come before she could doze amongst her brood in an unsullied repose.

The remedy to their conundrum set himself upon the armrest, watching protectively over his kin with a contented spirit. There was nothing more beautiful than this sight, except maybe that of his entire clan gathered all together around him. He had missed, he thought, the laughter of children in the halls, the sounds of their good dreams under God after a long course of praying for every person they knew by name. He had yearned for these memories that played like home movies in his distracted thoughts.

From the day Sienna's betrayal had become apparent, with little more left than a note in bitter explanation; he had abstained from dreaming of any kind of reunion between him and his baby daughter. But now a decade anon, it had happened. And now he had a son.

For the time being, his family was complete. He was undaunted and feeling invincible. He felt as Zeus, strong and unstoppable. His foundation was firm, his sister-in-law no more than a slipped stone in the catacombs of days gone by. He was perfectly secure.

Alas, as Jed well knew, the certainty of today could not insure the certainty of any other day. Threats were always growing; new and old. The threat that was to come was more ancient than the sweet children dearly encompassed in his lover's arms. Sibling rivalry.

It was all about who had the upper hand, who was more loved and beloved, who could win this unfair fight. This battle had ended long ago, as far as Abbey was concerned, but for Sienna, it would never be over. She would never measure up and she couldn't stand it, so she played the only advantage she'd ever had -- the children. Abbey's children. Jed's children. Their children.

The children they had given out of love for Sienna, out of a hope for reconciliation, and out of charity, so that someone else might know the unsurpassed emotion of holding their newborn child in their arms. The children Abbey had first given alone to her barren sister as a sort of olive branch. What greater trust is there than to knowingly hand your ungrown, untouched offspring over to another to grow inside of them, to be raised by them? There's no greater trust than that.

And when that failed, she enlisted Jed's help after hearing of Reynold's sterility. That increased the weight of the game tenfold. Now, not only had she given her sister a gift straight from her womb, but she had delivered to them a child made from her husband as well. She had encouraged him to do this, though it had been no small feat. There was nothing stronger than his love for his babies. Even his love for her stood little chance beside. But she had asked him, with eyes pleading, and he had agreed -- with the stipulation that they could see the child as it grew. The chances of a single child were slim; the chance of multiple embryos was none. Every unsuccessful transplant --and pregnancy-- was a blow not only to them, but to their tenuous relationship with Sienna and Reynold. Both couples grieved incessantly over the precious lives that never were.

They were all on their last legs when it finally happened. Sienna safely reached week thirteen without more than the usual complications of an older first-time mother. It had worked. They kept their fingers crossed and prayed out loud for just this one. Weeks passed and Si-Si was five months pregnant. She and Abbey had found their closeness again. They'd gossiped like teenagers and shopped and shared cravings. It was as though Abbey was pregnant along with her.

It was Jed that tried to warn Abbey. He wasn't nearly as close to Sienna as his wife and he could see her objectively -- at least somewhat. He saw the jealousy in her eyes as Abbey interacted with the girls, the way she brightened when the baby moved within her, or even the way the baby responded to Abbey's voice. Lesly knew who her mother was even before she was born. Once again, Sienna Barrington Dowd didn't measure up.

Abbey hadn't wanted to believe it. She asked him to give her sister the benefit of the doubt. He told her would, but he continued to watch Sienna nonetheless. Abbey, finally alerted to what was happening, started making similar observations. Soon, the distance returned, and the moodiness, and the cold in her eyes. She wanted to put it on hormones and mood swings, but the signs weren't there.

The dark cloud briefly lifted following Les's birth. They were all caught in the glow of someone so precious coming into their world. That was until she started coming into her looks; until she became the stunning reflection of a certain would-be First Lady of The United States a lifetime ago. Abbey didn't see it in the beginning, but Jed did; and Sienna certainly did.

At seven months old, Lesly Marianne Dowd was an apple-cheeked, green-eyed, brunette baby monster. She loved to terrorize people as she crawled around on her knees. Jed and Abbey were in love and she loved them back. It wasn't long before she began to talk. Her first course of action was to call Abbey momma and Jed dada. They beamed with pride and love. Her sisters gathered around their 'cousin' and cuddled her warmly. She couldn't have fit in better.

Unfortunately, Sienna and Reynold saw just how well she fit into their (not so) little family unit and came to the conclusion that there was no way that they could raise her with Jed and Abbey's interference. Their authority would forever come second.

And so, on a crisp day in December, Abbey and Jed came to their home in Bennington, New Hampshire to find Sienna and Reynold gone and their precious little girl nowhere to be found. Just a note and no forwarding address. Jed held Abbey all that night as she cried herself to sleep and he tried desperately not to. There was nothing to be done. Before this struggle even became an issue, they had both signed a binding contract stating that they surrendered all claim to whatever children resulted from these procedures to Sienna and Reynold. They also surrendered all of the fertilized eggs harvested for transplant. Unbeknownst to any of them, following Lesly's birth, nearly half a dozen of them remained untouched and waiting.

Then, four years later, there was Toby. Toby Richmond Dowd. It was as if by some cosmic happenstance that Toby looked like Jed. As an infant, he'd bang his small fists on any surface when he was angry, with slim lips pursed and silver-blue eyes narrowed. But other than that, you'd have been hard-pressed to find Jed in him. He didn't have that quick wit or that heart-stopping oratory that brought the masses to their feet in applause. He, at times, couldn't string a coherent sentence together. It was a strain on his damaged mind. A few too many drinks too late in the first trimester, too few prenatal vitamins, and a premature birth that had deprived him of oxygen for precious minutes left him this way. He was functional, but he'd been afflicted with many developmental setbacks that tore his 'parents' already torrential marriage to shreds. All he'd had to hold onto was Lesly.

Now, he finally had the family he was meant for. He was home. There would be no more midnight visits that would leave him crying silently into his pillow, shame staining his sheets. There would be no more of Les's being hurt to protect him from things he didn't even realize he'd done wrong. There would be no more fear. They were home now.

They were finally home.


	5. The fear is Back

**Chapter 5**

There was a coldness in the air this morning. Zoey sat on a stool in the kitchen and blew on her mug of hot chocolate patiently. Today would be Les and Toby's first day of prep school and they'd have to be up soon. After finally meeting them, she could hardly wait to see how this would go. Neither had been particularly enthusiastic about the thought of not spending their days with Jed and Abbey, but they'd accepted it with minimal sulking. Meeting Zoey had been just the distraction they'd needed to take their minds off their mutual separation anxiety. However, their first encounter didn't go quite as planned.

Zoey had arrived after that night in the East Wing to find two apprehensive little ones waiting anxiously outside for her arrival. They'd been between running to greet her, as they felt they already knew her; and running from her, because she was a complete stranger to them. As she stepped out of the car, they came to a consensus. They had looked at Zoey, then, at each other, and…next, they ran.

In a heartbeat, a dozen bodies took off after them. They didn't get very far since Toby was not too quick a runner and Lesly slowed herself down so that he could keep up. Milo scooped Toby up into his arms, bringing Les full stop. She wasn't going anywhere without her baby brother. She loved him too much. Someone had to.

Toby then whirled into a frenzy, thrashing and screaming to be released. No one catching him had ever led to anything other than agony and humiliation. It was all supposed to be over now. So, why did it all feel the same? He screamed bloody murder at the top of his lungs. At last, he knew what love was and he was counting on love to save him.

Their own souls crying out in answer to their son's distress, they freed him from his defender's grasp and held him securely between them, beckoning Lesly to join them. The dark-suited sentries stationed themselves to the four winds around the trembling group as Zoey watched worriedly from the outside. She'd never been one to inspire fear. She didn't want to start now.

Soon, the fevered whispers of comfort slowed to a tense and weary silence and they disbanded, clinging loosely to each other with joined hands. Toby sucked apprehensively on his lips and clung to Abbey's hand thoughtlessly. Abbey represented safety and he needed that right now. He took a step towards his sister as manners dictated and whispered a rough, "Hi."

Despite her best efforts, Zoey failed to not start when confronted with her very own eyes staring back at her. Still, she tried to smile so as not to alarm him further. She'd never seen any child throw a fit quite like that one. That wasn't unruliness or insolence. That was fear, fear for one's very life. Someone so young should never know fear such as that. But he did. His eyes told a story. A story of trauma, and neglect, and so much unhappiness. And she wanted to hear this story. Then, she wanted to hear whatever explanation anyone had for this. She wanted to know who had hurt this boy. She wanted a name. But most of all, she wanted to take that look from his eyes.

And that's how they met. She met her mother's twin only moments later and formed another instant bond. They agreed, with eyes only, that it was their joint mission to protect Toby. There would be no battle for dominion or jealousy. He'd been the subject of far too much of that in his brief life. Those feuds had left him vulnerable and at a disadvantage. He symbolized every moment that any child had been hurt by someone who should've shown love. He was the product of a passion one would be only blessed to feel. He was this family at its lowest point bringing them out in its best. He pressed them to the service of relations. There was no greater service. And so, for them, it had begun…

Zoey checked her watch again for the fourth time and peaked through the kitchen door to see if her 'cousins' were coming yet. There was no sign of them and only silence from upstairs. She felt as though she was more excited than either Les or Toby. More so, she was dying to see what they'd look like in their uniforms. It was like seeing her parents, before and after. It was uncanny. Her self-satisfied grin dimmed momentarily at the nearly inconceivable scenario her parents had laid out for her. She wouldn't have considered it all if not for a blurry recollection of a day long past when she'd gone to visit her baby cousin and had arrived with her parents to find she and her family gone.

It didn't seem like something family did. It wasn't something family was supposed to do. She couldn't imagine either of her sisters doing that to her. Of course, her sisters loved her. She loved her sisters. That was enough, wasn't it? Wasn't love enough?

Before Zoey could lose herself to deeply in those morose thoughts there was a muted trooping from the hall. She could hear a heated argument occurring from top to bottom.

"But I don't want to go, Uncle Jed."

"I know, honey, but you're already behind in school. You have to go. You're both so smart and people should know that."

"Unca Jed?"

"Yes, son."

"I not weady to go yet." They stopped in their tracks, but Jed waved Abbey and Les on.

"Why not?"

"I not smart." Zoey listened sadly and gave her mother a searching look when she entered. Her mother only shook her head and went about checking the kid's lunches.

"You are smart. It's just way in there. You've never had anyone look for it before, so you don't know it's there. But it is. It is."

"Promise?"

"I do, honey. I do. Come here." There was a loud smooching sound and Toby laughed. "It's gonna be a good day, okay?"

"Okay."

"Come on, breakfast." At last, they came in and took seats next to Zoey at the counter. She looked around her father to Toby swinging his legs over the floor.

"Hey." He looked up at her.

"Hey." She toyed with her mug and whistled 'Hail to the Chief' to fill the quiet of the room. Her mother poked her in the side as she passed her to reach Jed. She stopped abruptly and shrugged. She didn't know what to do. "So, are you excited to go to school today?" She immediately wished that she'd kept her mouth shut. The blinked at her vacantly. "Okay. So no. I get that. I wasn't wild about school either, at first."

"But you liked it eventually, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I was scared when I got there. I didn't want to leave mom and dad, but I had to." Toby scooted forward in his seat and sat his chin in his stacked fists.

"Why?"

"Because, it's a school for kids, not grown-ups. Mommies and daddies have to go to work."

"But there was other grown-ups there."

"I know. Those are your teachers. They're going to take care of you while you're there. You'll be with them until Mommy and Daddy come back for you."

"Mommy and Daddy are coming back?" Zo snapped her fingers as she realized her faux pas. They didn't know. She's forgotten that they didn't know. Ah, hell. She looked to her parents for assistance, but they left her to explain.

"They aren't…today. Uncle Jed or Aunt Abbey will come and get you. And if they can't, I'll get you. That okay with you guys?" They communicated wordlessly.

"Yeah, that's okay."

"Okay, cool."

"Well," Abbey waited for someone else to speak, but it seemed that the time for talking had passed. "It's time to go." No one moved. "Now." Still. "Seriously, everybody move."

Jed clapped his hands. "Okay, guys. Move out." They all hopped down from their posts and started on their ways.

Jed and Abbey helping the kids into their coats and Zoey handed them their fully-stocked backpacks. As they were about to walk out of the kitchen with her parents, their sister pulled them back for a quick kiss each. "Have a nice day. Come back and tell me all about it. I want to hear everything. Love you." They kissed her back and returned the sentiment as they were hustled out by their parents.

She shook her head at her parents' youthful exuberance. She was certain that they were far more thrilled than either Les or Toby. She plopped back down on her stool to wait for their return. She had to admit that she was thrilled too. She sighed when she checked the wall clock and found that only two minutes had passed.

"Damn. It's gonna to be a long day." She sat her mug in the sink and left the kitchen to find Charlie. He had to be doing something interesting; God knows she wasn't. Zoey sloughed around the Oval Outer Office with Charlie as they both waited for her father's arrival. Originally he hadn't planned to accompany the children to school but that had gone out the window at the Ellipse. Toby had refused to release his hold on Jed's hand and had made burgundy hell for anyone who tried to make him. Jed hadn't been able to deny his son's plaintive appeals. The car rolled away two minutes later, POTUS in tow.

She was dying to hear how it had all gone after that stellar beginning. Following their return, both of her parents had been ensconced in postponed meetings for the majority of the day and had been unavailable for even a brief lunch. Finally, three o'clock rolled around, met by a trooping of adults, family and agents to the limousine. Abbey and Jed were anxious, and Zoey could help but yield to the general tension in the air. She still didn't know what had happened this morning. However, if the way her mother gripped her father's hand was any indication, she should be prepared.

It was a long ride through DC's political district to the more suburban area where the children had been taken. No one spoke. At last, a large Victorian building came into view. It was beautifully built, but so imposing. She felt a chill. She was glad she didn't go there.

The vast courtyard was clear and the silence echoed in each of them. There were no children playing, no parents, or nannies, bustling around and loading their expensive cars with the over-indulged offspring of the DC Elite. It was just quiet as if all the joy and youth had been wiped out. In reality, they all knew that the Secret Service had had the area cleared for their arrival hours in advance, but that was reality. Reality had no place on the first day of school.

The car glided around the stone drive and came to a stop before the gilded front doors and the marbled steps. Waiting just inside, Les and Toby held hands pensively. They weren't used to a life where they were driven around limos and had armed sentries following their every move. Abbey and Jed, and Zoey stepped out in file. All faces lit up. They also weren't used to a life where they had this; two parents filled with love and a sister who went out of her way just to see them. The two groups came together in a clash. There were hugs and kisses all around.

Les babbled inanely to Abbey about all of the friends she'd made in her fourth grade class. They'd taken to her fast. Zoey and her father gently prodded a reticent Toby. He seemed more withdrawn than before. He hid his face in Jed's neck and refused to even acknowledge Zoey. They shared a look that conveyed the worst they both feared. They hurried back to the car for the return trip.

Les quieted down before they arrived back in DC. She fell asleep against Abbey shoulder with her mother's arm wrapped around her. Abbey watched the rest of her family with a concerned expression. Both Jed and Zoey continued to coax Toby, but he wouldn't bite. He only stared ahead with red eyes; he trembled when touched.

The fear was back.

_II-II_

Abbey and Zoey were drinking tea when Jed came down from the putting the children down to bed. They hadn't had time to really talk since picking them up earlier. There'd been snacks and homework, and baths to consider. Not to mention multiple trips to the situation room. Both women had tried to get through to Toby but had failed repeatedly. Jed's final return of the evening had brooked the agreement that he try talking to the boy.

If his face was evidence, it either hadn't gone well or had produced disturbing results. He settled down beside Abbey and rested his hand on top of hers. She didn't like what she saw in his eyes. She could feel a nightmare waiting to happen all over again.

"No." He nodded his head and looked to Zoey, who only managed to look mystified. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

"Toby told me that he saw his mother today. He saw Sienna…and her boyfriend." She turned her hand up beneath his and clinched his fingers.

"Jed?" Her questioning paused made him look at her. She dropped her chin but kept his gaze. "Him?"

"Yeah." She turned her head away and cursed the man's name.

"Did he try to see them?"

"Yeah. Both he and Sienna tried to see them."

"How'd they even know where they were going?" He reached up to touch the back of her neck. She grasped his wrist and held his hand there.

"Everyone knows, Abbey. It wasn't a big secret. I had CJ ask that the press stay away from the school so as not to interfere with things." She nodded and took a cleansing breath.

"Thank you for that."

"Yeah. A lot of good it did." She looked over her shoulder at him and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.

"Hey, don't worry. You did that best you could do with what you had. We both knew she'd be back. We just didn't know she'd have the nerve to bring him with her." She snorted dismally. "I can't believe she brought him with her. He is not coming into this house, Jed. I won't have it. I swear to God if that man touches my babies…Jed, I'll do something horrible. I'll kill him where he stands."

"Abigail," he called to her worriedly.

"No, no. I don't care anymore, I won't stand for anymore. I'll kill him with my bare hands if I have to." He moved to stand behind her and massaged her shoulders comfortingly. "Don't let him near them." Or her obviously. Abbey made no empty promises when it came to her and hers. She could and would rouse hell.

"I won't, baby. I won't." He kissed her crown and tugged her back to rest against his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

Zoey finally made her presence known with the rough clearing of her throat. They turned to her. "What…who? Who is he? Reynold, is it Reynold?" They looked back to each other, silently debating whether or not to tell her the rest of the story. It was agreed. She had a right to know. "Mom? Dad?"

"No, honey, not Reynold." Zoey only managed to look more baffled. "Your…aunt has a boyfriend, the same one for a while it seems. He would -- he would abuse them, Zoey. He would come into the room they shared late at night and he would molest them. More specifically, Toby. He would molest Toby and force Lesly to watch. Whenever Toby would cry out or make a noise, he would hit Les as punishment. His sister paid for things neither of them had ever done wrong. If she wasn't there or couldn't take it, he'd simply beat Toby within an inch of his existence. He would hurt him so badly, Zo. And Lesly would have to clean up the mess he left behind. The nightmares she wakes up from are terrible. The injuries are still so new. When the mornings are cold, you can see her barely able to move. It'll ache brand new every morning." Her face was a picture of despair.

"The bruises haven't all faded yet," Jed supplied bleakly.

"Neither have the scars," Abbey finished. "Some will never go away, even after they've disappeared."

"Sienna let this go on?"

"She certainly never tried to stop it."

"She was a terrible excuse for a mother." That was harsh criticism coming from Jed Bartlet. He was probably the most forgiving man alive today. If a man of such strong faith and compassion could find no redemption within to lend you, then surely you had gone beyond redemption. Sienna had gone beyond the best of all of Jed's efforts.

Abbey dropped her head into her hands. "But was I any better? I knew that woman and I dared to hand her unborn children, our unborn children, Josiah. What was going through my mind that could've convinced me that this woman could ably care for any child? My God, this is all my fault."

"No," both her daughter and husband rushed to assure her. "No, mom. This is her, all her. You entrusted your babies to her and she showed you how misplaced that trust was. Never take someone else's sins onto your soul. Eternity's too long for that."

How wise that seemed coming from someone so young. Zoey was also surprised at herself; how profound. She'd never been the profound one in the family; that was left to Dad, and Ellie, when she was equal to the task. She was dumbfounded to realize that wisdom sounded good on her. She was certain that it must be the genes.

"You've gotten far too shrewd in your years," her mother remarked wryly. Zoey smiled at what she knew to be a compliment and hopped on the counter to reach an apple in the fruit bowl.

"I just happen to have the shrewdest role models around, so it wasn't a hard act to follow."

"Of course."

"Of course." Zoey nodded affirmatively and took a bite of her apple. She said nothing more as she absently munched, but thought inwardly of how best she could protect her newfound siblings; Jed stared off into the distance, vacantly wondering if he'd actually be able to stop Abbey from doing any of the things she'd threatened should Si-Si's boyfriend dare come near; and Abbey contemplated what she would do if he was, in fact, stupid enough to try.

It was frightening to acknowledge, even in her own mind. Her capacity for fury astounded, and frightened, her. She had to catch herself for fear of passing the point of no return; the point to which her wrath would be invoked and she would knowingly seek them out to meet a punishment she had no right to deliver. There would be no returning from that journey into darkness. She wouldn't allow them to turn her; there were too many on the side of right counting on her righteousness for her to ever leave for good. Jed's unexpected kiss fully anchored her to her humanity and she silently thanked him for his intuitive knowledge of her very soul. He always knew where she stood in faith and conscience. As long as nothing could come between them, her devotion would remain steadfast. They held each other high, and she needed that right now. Especially right now.

For what felt like hours, they all sat about wordlessly; each absorbing their lukewarm conversation and wondering how it affected what would happen next. None of them were certain how this fight would end, but all were convinced that it was just beginning. They'd finally gotten Lesly and Toby back into the warm enclosure of family and they'd be damned if they'd be taken to be neglected and abused again.

Not on their lives, and certainly not the children's. Giants would fall long before that would be allowed to happen.

That was something that Abbey would make damned sure of.


	6. A Mother's Wrath

By Regency

See part 1 for disclaimer

**Chapter 6**

Jed would not admit to enjoying this. It was a purely juvenile tactic to get through to Toby, nothing more. Truly. Still he licked the edges of his dripping ice cream cone eagerly catching every drop of the pistachio confection before it wasted uselessly onto the concrete steps. The only one more excited than he seemed to be was Toby, who scarfed down his until only the cone remained. Then, he had to pause with a brain freeze. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and held his breath until it passed.

Jed chuckled at his son's misfortune before being stunned into near paralysis by the same. They both shook it off and shivered. Damn, that was cold.

"Okay, ice cream's done. None of that," he coughed harshly. "Damn."

"Aww! You said a bad word, Unca Jed." He waved a firm finger in his father's face disapprovingly.

"I know, I'm sorry. No more bad words."

"Swear?"

Jed held up his hand solemnly. "I do." They sealed their agreement with a nod. Deal. That was the one deal Jed had no intention of going back on. He watched Toby eye Jed's dessert contemplatively and then look back at his own. He seemed to be weighing his options. What those options were, his father had no idea. Then, like a flash, his cone tipped forward and the ice cream scoop was on the ground. Suddenly, it all became clear as Toby pulled an unhappy pout onto his face.

He held it out to him, surrendering before he became too much more attached. "You can have mine." Toby smiled shyly, but took it nonetheless.

"Thank you, Unca Jed." He had been so totally played. But, seeing the momentary happiness on his son's face was enough for him to let it slide. However, next time he would not be so easy to fool. Really, he wouldn't be.

He sighed as he rose from the steps, rubbing his aching back. He'd known better than to get down here with him, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Not unlike several other things he'd done in life. They were all good ideas at the time. At least, they seemed like they were.

He observed Toby getting stickier and stickier until he could honestly stand it no more. There was melted pistachio on his ear now. Yeah, this had to stop.

He walked up behind him and lifted him up under his arms. "Come on, little guy. Looks like we're gonna need a bath. We have to hurry up before Auntie Abbey gets back and sees the mess we made of her clean porch." Toby managed to look terrified for a moment before realizing his guardian's playful tone. The millisecond he'd spent tensed in Jed's arm had signaled to him his faux pas. He held him closer despite his stickiness and kissed his hair. "Hey, don't worry, okay? She loves you and won't mind the mess. I'll clean it up later and she won't have to know anything about. Will that be okay?" He nodded and squeezed his eyes shut against the oncoming barrage of memories that seemed unending.

Jed could feel him reliving it all over again and so he did as well; living through things he'd never seen, but that only existed in his worst nightmares. With his son, he relived his own abuse and it seemed laughable in the face of worse treatments. As far as he was concerned, he'd never been hurt at all.

"Are you okay, now?" There was a slightly sniffling noise, but little more. He took his silence as his answer. They headed back inside, leaving the cleanup to some unfortunate, but compliant agent. They knew nothing if not how to clean up a mess. It was spotless. So spotless, in fact, that Abbey would never have seen it had she not been watching from the balcony above. This served more to fuel her heartache than her anger. She wondered whether he'd ever be completely happy again, or whether he'd ever actually been happy at all. Either way, Abbey had her doubts.

A half hour found Abbey waiting in the Lincoln Bedroom for Jed to finish bathing Toby from their ice cream excursion. She had smiled upon closer inspection of her boys. Close contact between the two had covered the front of Jed's sweatshirt in a sticky mixture of chocolate and pistachio. Now, the bath had covered his shirt in suds and bubble gum-scented water. That was what she had garnered from a peek into the Executive bathroom. It had taken the best of her restraint not to fall down laughing as Jed made tugboat sounds for Toby's amusement. He was a natural father, an amazing man to know and be loved by.

Another ten minutes passed before they came out. Toby was swathed in a large fluffy towel, thrown over his father's shoulder, warm and dry. Jed, on the other hand, was drenched and looked to be freezing. She could hardly contain a giggle at the adorable sight. Oh, she never had a camera when she needed one.

Toby examined his wrinkly fingers deeply. He looked like a raisin. He was so cute. "Hey, pumpkin." He looked up at Abbey with a wide smile and waved. She waved back and blew a kiss. He caught it and pressed it to his cheek. The way they loved him went above and beyond all he'd ever known. He was a piece of their heart.

"I'm gonna take this little guy to get ready for bed," he kissed his forehead. "Tell Abbey good night."

"Night, Au'tie Abbey." She smiled as they disappeared into the hall. She rested a hand on her chest and leaned back into the headboard. She never imagined that she'd be back to moments like these where she would end her day reminiscing over what sweet things her children had done that day. Zoey had been the last and it had been years since those things had not embarrassed her. But Toby and Lesly were different. She hadn't seen them when they were small. They had missed the best of it, she thought. The little things.

But they had them now. She wanted to believe that was all that mattered, but the haunting specter of Sienna's visit lingered on. She swore she saw that man in her sleep and the things she dreamed of were horrible. Some were things he'd done and some were things she'd do. Nights were frightening now.

She was deep in thought when Jed came back in, already removing him soaked clothes. He stopped when her saw her pensive expression. "Honey, are you okay?" She jumped, having not realized he'd come back.

"Hmm? What?"

"Are you okay? You look a little under it?" She shrugged. He started to sit down on the bed, but she smacked his butt. "Oh, no. Keep your wet self off my dry bed."

"Aww, Abbey." She was adamant.

"Nope. Clothes off and then, you can get into bed with me." He rolled his eyes and stalked away. A few minutes later, he came back dressed in an actual pair of pajamas. It just so happened that it was the pair she preferred. "Now, you can get in with me." He stood before her defiantly. "Are you getting in?"

"Maybe I don't want to now. I'm feeling pretty put off."

"Fine." She shrugged and picked up her book and glasses off the bedside table, returning to her reading from earlier in the evening.

He exhaled unhappily before getting into bed against his own wishes. But to his own defense, it was freezing and he'd be damned if he'd catch his death of pneumonia on principle. He picked up his own book and glasses and let Abbey's will be done for the time being. If she didn't want to talk, they wouldn't talk then.

An hour passed and Jed felt the day catching up with him. He was dying to talk to Abbey. He had to share his fear with someone and who better than her?

"Abbey?" She looked up from her book distractedly. When she saw his face, she marked her page with the blue silk ribbon and shut it, laying it aside for another, less serious time.

"What is it?" He settled down uneasily. He didn't want to say what he was thinking, because God forbid Abbey should be angrier than she already was, but he was anxious to have someone tell him that he was wrong. She was the best one for the job. "Jed."

"Do you think Sienna could hurt the children herself?"

"I don't understand."

"Do you think Sienna could harm the children? Would she hit them?" Abbey had to contemplate the question carefully.

"I--I don't know honestly. I never considered her being abusive. I just thought she was neglectful. But I suppose, she could hit them just as surely as she could ignore them. Why?"

Jed prepared to give a difficult explanation. Perhaps he was making more of this than he needed to, but he wasn't convinced. "Abbey, Toby and I had ice cream cones outside earlier this evening." She nodded for him to continue, not admitting that she'd already known that. "Well, we made a bit of a mess, which we had cleaned up," he rushed to add. Her impatient look told him to hurry to his point. "But when I made a mention of you being unhappy should you find it, he got scared." He cleared his throat, trying not to relive the moment. "I was holding him, because he had gotten sticky and I realized that it was time to go in. He – He tensed right up in my arms. It was as though for a second he was reliving something or remembering it with terrible clarity, the way children are prone to. He just froze and it bothered me in a way I'm not used to yet. Am I overanalyzing this, Abbey?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about my sister, except to say that she is a backstabbing, pathetic, sorry-ass excuse for a mother. So no, Jed, you're not overanalyzing."

"Tell me how you really feel, Abigail. Don't hold back now." She smacked his arm with a surprising amount of force. He pinched her in retaliation and she laughed. She poked him in the side fast. "You don't want to start this with me, because I will take this to the next level."

"Oh, you're gonna take this to the next level, are you? Well, bring it on, Mr. President." She beckoned him with her hands. "Bring. It. On." The worrying thoughts of the previous moments were released, as better moments seemed close at hand. There was always the morning for things such as that.

He followed her to her side of the bed and gathered her up into his arms for a lustful, wanton kiss. It felt so good that she trembled as he said her name into her lips. He slid his hands up her bare thighs and pulled her tighter to him as he begged entrance to her mouth. She admitted him with a moan at the familiar sensation of him invading her with the disposition of a starving man, but the tenderness of her man.

He soon disrobed her and tugged at her buttons one by one until her top hung open, revealing a vertical column of milky alabaster skin, marked only by the butterscotch freckles that drew a rapturous path through the valley between her breasts, down past her navel to the treasured oasis lower still. Knowing so surely that she had him, she dropped it off her shoulders to present to him what he'd been craving.

She could see in his eyes that he'd missed their unions as much as she had. There simply hadn't been time during the recent weeks, but now, tonight there was time. The children were asleep and the world was apparently at rest. It was just the two of them, as it had been at the very beginning; as it was now.

He lowered her carefully onto her back and stroked her face, adoringly tracing its precious contours. How magnificent she was, how exquisite. She unbuttoned her favorite pajama top and motioned for him to take it off. She pulled him back over of her and smiled at him softly. There was something coy about them tonight, bashful even. This was different than just about every other time they'd been together. This was them relearning each other as if for the first time. So caring, wanting, and deserving. They'd earned this night.

"Make love to me." It didn't matter whether or not she'd said it out loud, the message was clear. He dropped a feather light kiss past her lips before descending to her neck and suckling just so at her throbbing pulse. She bit distractedly at her full bottom lip, toying precariously with the idea of surrendering to him completely. The idea was taken and made law when his hand preceded him down her stomach and into the brief unsuspecting panties she normally wore to bed.

He loved at her collarbone, sending a tingling spark through her a sharp but nearly painless bite. He drew in her field of freckles called stars and nuzzled at her supple breasts. She arched into his insistent touch with verve. He kissed and teased her tight, sensitive nipples with his mouth, daring to remove a hand from between her legs to her utter displeasure. She pushed that hand back its to destination or, in her opinion, its rightful place. He continued to stroke her, feeling his proud lioness winding up to strike in her need.

Slowly her eyes that had been closed in pure concentration, opened to show him her resolve. She nodded for him to take them to take the next level. She was ready for him. He pulled her panties down her toned legs and threw them to the floor thoughtlessly. He parted her knees and kissed her inner thighs, tasting the salt of her skin and sampling the sugar of her soul. The only sounds were her hurried breaths as he imbibed her womanhood thoroughly. She was so near to oblivion that she couldn't' conceive of anything more than that. She wanted to share that sweet oblivion with him.

"Jed." She gasped at a shock that rose from where he dwelled. "Jed." He looked up to her, not stopping his ministrations even as she positively thrummed with the tension of a taut chord. "Now." He brushed that skillful mouth along her trembling flesh until it met with hers again. Their tastes merged and swirled in their kiss, leaving them both in breathless determination to be one. Still finding better use of her lips than speech, Abbey personally began to push his pajama bottoms down until they were bunched up around his thighs. He knocked them the rest of the way down without losing a bit of contact with her.

The moment had arrived and their emotions and desires were rawer today than in so long. Oh, to be young again, she thought. She stroked his stomach, already feeling the excitement in his hardness against her parted thighs. His hesitation lived only as long as it took him to ask her readiness. She was ready. She'd been ready. He encouraged her to wrap her long legs around him as he prepared himself for the mind-blowing experience that was his lover.

He moved into her in one slow, agonizing thrust that served to knock her awareness down to the seven by seven dimensions of their bed and then, only the part they occupied. Their lovemaking had become a purely sensory encounter. He steadied his place in her by holding her waist to keep her still. The heat of the intense encounter left glistening sheens of sweat on their bodies that only served to boost the friction between them. Abbey rubbed his back calmly, but with an urgency that belied the way she said his name. It was as a curse, so angry and distressed, but also a declaration of love meant only for his ears and this situation.

He silenced her with long, unforgiving kisses that stole her ability to form words or even to breathe. He shifted his weight to one arm, allowing himself to lie down fully on top of her without hurting her. He caressed the places he knew to be sensitive in time with their thrusts. As he took to her breasts again, her body tensed and pressed more firmly against him.

She took that hand from her body and grasped it in hers. The muscles within her strained like taut rubber bands, unconscious and uncaring of her efforts to wait for her husband. He pushed her legs higher around him and plunged into her wet, quivering body with the certainty of thousand-time lover. Without further adieu, she came, crying out to him by name and to God in her incoherence. The warmth of her undeniable satisfaction engulfed him, shamelessly and unrepentantly egging him on.

How it pleased him so to please her. His own energy rose next to the occasion, abandoning his rigid form for her supple one, writhing still in his merciless attack on her libido. She stilled as her name escaped his throat in a harsh gasp of exaltation. She arched up into him as the thrilling rush of _his_ undeniable satisfaction filled her with a different fulfillment altogether.

"Oh, yes." She welcomed him home fully. This was home to him.

"God, yes." He settled into her still, holding her close and savoring the paradise that was his Abigail. He had loved her a thousand times before now and yet she continued to astound him with the pleasure she brought. "You are amazing."

She smiled, keeping him close inside of her. "You are and I love you so much."

"And I love you, Abbey. Thank you so much."

She kissed him as a preamble. "For what?"

He returned her kiss. "For loving me. For giving me the most magnificent children ever made. For always being that positive, motivating force. I wouldn't be here without you. Hell, I wouldn't be who I am or have overcome that the things that I have if you weren't with me every step of the way. I'd have quit or given up long ago. You've been my one true thing all the way." He kissed her again as a tangible gift for that she'd given. "That's what the thank you is for."

She didn't want to cry, but nonetheless her eyes where shining in the lamplight. How lovely she looked. "You really want to do mushy with me now?" He grinned and nodded. "Well, thank you." He seemed confounded. "Thank you for putting up with _my_ career moves, _my_ horrible hours, the ruined anniversaries, and forgotten birthdays, and burnt dinners. Thank you for never _trying_ –hear that—trying to stymie my career. But, most of all, thank you for the being the One, and for loving me in spite of my sometimes-volatile temper and outspokenness."

He chuckled at the irony of her final statement. "Don't you know that you wouldn't be you without that sometimes-volatile temper or that outspokenness? Even at the most inconvenient of times, I love both of these parts of you. They are just pieces of what you are. The whole picture is so much more beautiful than that."

She could think of no satisfactory reply and decided that a kiss was better than nothing. He agreed and they reveled in the sentimental embrace. A little later, they parted for air and she took his face in her hands. "You are the sweetest, cheesiest, gentlest, sexiest man I know. I just wanted you to know that."

"Oh, I know." She slapped his shoulder.

"You know," she said, finally allowing him to withdraw to lie beside her, "I had the oddest thought tonight." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"What thought was that?"

"You're going to think it's weird."

"You won't know until you tell me."

She sat up and rested on her elbow, sitting her head contemplatively on her palm. "I thought that if we had made them ourselves that this is what it would've been like." He didn't say anything for a beat.

"It's funny. I was thinking that same thing." She turned to look at him to be sure that he wasn't mocking her.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." He tugged her back to him and rubbed calming circles into her bare back. "Don't you remember how every one of our children was conceived? Don't you remember how special every time was, as though we knew we were making a baby at that instant?"

She reddened at her vivid memory. "I remember. How could I forget? There was a certain rush, an intuition. I just knew that I was pregnant. I just knew."

"We both did."

She put her head on his chest and played with rough gray hair growing there. "It would have been just like this."

"Exactly."

If either of them smiled any wider, they'd probably have to have their jaws wired in the morning. That was all right, because for a moment they were happy; not worried about what was coming or who would be the next to invade their hectic lives. They were just two lovers recalling wonderful days, safe in the prospect that they all were safe from their worst nightmares by the formidable guard of the Secret Service and the fond embrace of home.

It was ironic how deceiving appearances could be. This night, so fabulous as it had been was perfect camouflage for the ordeal about to begin. Somewhere in this world, Sienna, Abbey's older sister and oldest nemesis was boarding a plane in the company of her paramour. They were on the way back; their plans having failed to pan out. The First Couple had something they wanted. Sienna wanted to break her sister's heart one more time. That was her revenge for being born the inferior sister. When all else failed, take away her children. It had worked once; it would work again. A mother's love is constant in spite of what may be more painless.

One thing, though, is much more constant and dangerous: A mother's wrath. And with her actions, Sienna was going to step right onto the path of Abbey's.


	7. Only Theirs

**Chapter Seven**

The next morning, Abbey woke to find herself alone in bed. She crawled out and donned Jed's pajama top and her robe before going to find her family. As she stepped into the hall, she could hear a television playing cartoons in one of the other rooms.

"Hank, where's the President?" Her massive agent looked down to her and brought his wrist-mic to his mouth for the request.

"I need a location on Eagle."

"Eagle, Blue Bell, and Pumpkin are in the Sitting Room, sir," they responded over the wire.

"Thank you." He dropped his wrist. "They're in the Sitting Room, ma'am."

"You wouldn't happen to know what they're doing, would you?"

"No, ma'am, but I could find out if you'd like."

"No, thank you. I'll be down in a second." She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her robe and made her way towards the elevator. It was almost sinister how quiet it was without the children making their racket in the halls. They'd been here less than a few months yet they'd left an indelible mark on this place; not to mention the people.

Toby had become a gentler soul, Josh tried to be a better role model, and Leo stopped to smell the cut grass, and took a little time to walk his godchildren around this grand building. Jed made a constant effort to be home for bath and bedtime. He ate right so that they'd eat right, much to Abbey's amazement and approval. She tried to be slower to give smackdowns and quicker to give praise. She didn't want Lesly and Toby growing up to think that was all there was. They'd survived enough of that. CJ got in on the action by babysitting every chance she got. She fell for the two as quickly as Jed and Abbey had. After hearing the story behind Little Toby, she tucked him under her wing like an injured bird. Lesly became her partner in crime. The things they got up to became the stuff of White House legend, but they claimed not to have done a thing. No one bought it. Especially not Toby, who woke up one morning with a green bald spot. He had to wear a baseball cap to work for three weeks and he still wasn't over it.

After her silent elevator ride to the first Residential floor, she cut through the dining room to reach the Sitting Room. She peeked around the door to see Les and Toby sitting Indian-style in front of the television with bowls of cereal in hand. Jed was sitting on the antique loveseat behind them, reading the newspaper. She snuck past the kids, who both definitely saw her and crept behind her husband. She slid her hands down his chest and kissed his neck 'good morning.' He didn't seem surprised since he'd smelt her perfume from the door.

"At least, act surprised to see me."

"Okay. Sweetheart, I had no idea you were out of bed yet." She pinched on of his love handles and he yelped. "Mean. It's not my fault you're not stealthy." She pinched him again. "You have violent tendencies." She kissed his ear and tightened her arms around his neck. "Are you trying to get closer to me or to choke me?"

"Does it matter?"

"A little bit." She brushed her lips against his neck this time. "Not so much now." He felt her smile against his skin. "Have I told you that I love that mouth of yours lately?"

"Not lately."

"Okay, well, I do."

"Good to know." Their good morning interlude was interrupted when the Secret Service burst in with their guns drawn. Abbey dropped her hands from Jed and stood up straight, her hands up instinctively. He followed her lead and gestured the kids closer to them.

"What the hell is going on? Will, what's up?"

Seeing no immediate threat in the room, the agent lowered his weapon. "Sir, we've just initiated a crash, I need you all to stay here until we have it under control."

"That's no problem. I don't think any of us are in a condition to go anywhere."

"Will, what happened?"

"Someone attempted to enter the Residence without proper authorization."

A cold chill crawled down Abigail's spine. "Who, Wilbur?" The young man winced. Only his mother called him that.

"Answer her, son."

"Mrs. Dowd and an unidentified male attempted to enter five minutes ago. She says that she's come to take her children home."

"Where is she now?"

"She's being detained by the Secret Service in the White House."

"Okay." Abbey took a deep breath to center herself. She had known that eventually this day would come. Eventually, Sienna was bound to want the children back. It was her way. "Okay. No. She cannot take them. Wilbur, Sienna does not get within several hundred feet of Lesly and Toby. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'm." From what he'd seen and heard of Sienna Dowd, that was a gift that kept on giving. If the First Lady said to keep her away, away she stayed. That was the way things worked around here.

"Also, please have Oliver Babish from the White House Counsel's office sent up here, as well as our personal attorney from New Hampshire. I want them both here before Mrs. Dowd and I get anywhere near one another." He nodded again, mic poised near his lips. "Oh, and if a situation should arise where you have decide between killing the boyfriend and not killing the boyfriend, kill the boyfriend."

"Will do, ma'am." He faded to the background to insure that her orders were carried out. He'd heard the stories, and he knew her wrath. If this was handled wrong, this whole thing could and would get out of hand.

Jed came up behind Abbey and cocooned her in the folds of his robe. She was as stiff as an ironing board and waves of rage lapped off of her like the rolling tides. "Calm down. If you go in there pissed, you're gonna stay pissed. We both know how badly she can push your buttons."

"She wants them. She came here today, no call or letter, and she wants them back. She fully expects to get them, too."

"That's where she made her mistake."

She turned around and cuddled into his embrace. "Not the only one, I think."

"No, not the only one. But indeed her biggest yet."

She came out from hiding to look into his eyes. "We can't let her take them."

"We won't."

"Can we really stop her? We have no legal standing, Jed. I don't think we need a lawyer to tell us that."

"No, but we do have a stable home and lots of love. And age on our side." She snorted. "Yes, we're a bit up there to be having children this young, but she's older. We've managed, Abbey. We've protected these kids vengefully. They've found family, not only with us and the girls, but the entire White House staff. People here love them. They love their school. Toby is thriving in ways never imagined by anyone. All he needed was tenderness and patience. They have the best that not only money can buy, but love. They're loved and cherished with us."

"I don't need to be convinced. A family court does."

"Then, we'll go to court." He closed his eyes and swore the air blue silently.

"What?"

"There's no way I can go to court."

"Why?"

"Because the other side will scream 'conflict of interest.'" "And the court will bend over backwards to prove objectivity. That'll screw us in the end."

"Or it will be in our favor. The last thing they want to do is piss you off. You're the President."

"True. This is one hell of a mess. A mess it is. Indeed, a mess."

She pinched him. "Don't go lost on me now."

"Sorry." A gentle tug on his robe caught Jed's attention. Les and Toby were looking confused and a little scared. Jed dropped down to his knees to see them eye-to-eye. "What's wrong?"

"Is mama back," Les asked uncertainly. He looked up to Abbey, who seemed to be in the early stages of panic.

"She's here, but you don't have to go with her if you don't want to."

"Good, because I don't ever want to see her again." Les's jaw was set firmly and her arms were crossed resolutely. She had made up her mind.

"Toby, do you want to go back with your mommy?" He rubbed his eyes thoughtfully. He was a compassionate person. He believed strongly in second chances. His Uncle Jed and Aunt Abbey had been his second chance. He didn't want to give that up…but he loved his mom in spite of her inability to protect him. He didn't know what to do. So, he shrugged and toed the floor unhappily. He felt as like he'd let everyone down. That wasn't a good a feeling.

Abbey kneeled down with them and took him into her arms. "It's okay that you don't know. She's your mommy," she had to hold back a gag at that admission. "She raised you your whole life. You don't know me very well. I may not mean anything to you—"

"That's not true." He tightened his skinny arms around her neck. "I wuv you. I don't ever want to leave. You can be my mommy now. And I'll be your baby forever and ever." She could feel him shaking at the terror of letting go.

"You're already my baby. Don't you know that?" She kissed his sun-bleached hair and rocked him back and forth. Oh, God, what if she had to let go? "My precious baby boy."

Jed was looking upon them with Lesly wrapped fearfully around his waist. Her eyes were wide with bewilderment and alarm. She was a little girl now, someone's daughter. She didn't have to protect Toby. All the magic would be undone if she went back. She started to hyperventilate and bit her lips fiercely to try and hold back the sobs rising from deep inside her. Her tiny fingernails dug into Jed's side and he stroked her hair to try to soothe her, but it was to no avail. The mere mention of their 'mother' had sent them into disorder. He stood, lifting her off the ground and holding her close in his arms.

"It's all right, baby. You're gonna be okay." Her breathing continued to grow more frantic. He was getting scared for her. "Abbey, she's gonna make herself sick or pass out."

"Put her down on the couch." He laid her out on the couch and moved out of Abbey's way despite Les's desperate attempts to hold on to him. He clutched her hand between his and rubbed the cooling limb to keep it warm. "I think she's going into shock."

His eyebrows rose to show his disbelief. "She's going into shock?"

"I think so."

"Because of this woman?"

"Because of this man and this woman, yes."

"Abbey," he touched her arm to catch her eye. "I'm going to court."

She nodded, stroking Les's raven bangs with one hand and Toby's honeyed ones with the other. Her babies were under fire. Her family was and that was unacceptable.

"I'm gonna try and talk some sense into Sienna."

"That's not a good idea."

"No, but it's the only one I have right now."

"What about waiting for the attorneys?"

"We can talk again when they get here, but I want her reasoning. I want to know why she wants them back. I want to know why she lied to us. I want to know why she let this go on. I have questions for my sister and she will answer them."

Jed looked resigned. "Okay, but take Ron with you. I don't trust her or her friend. They've already hurt my children; I won't take them hurting you."

She smiled thinly and kissed his cheek. "They won't. I'll take Ron. Love you."

"Love you, too." She whispered a quick goodbye to the kids and left the room, Wilbur in tow.

Twenty minutes, a shower, and a blow dryer later, Abbey arrived at the Secret Service Interrogation Room, where both Sienna and the _guy_ were being held.

The '_guy_' was stalking angrily around the room, switching between knocking on the desk and slamming his fists on the walls. He, apparently, did not like being confined. Well, it sucked to be him, then.

Si-Si rose to her sister's entrance, her expression one of upset. "What the hell is this, Abigail?" She had always used her name when she wished to make her younger sibling feel inferior. The FLOTUS only glared at her balefully and crossed her arms. That trick was no longer working out.

"You tell me."

"I don't know what you mean, shorty." She didn't relish that particular nickname and the tightening around her eyes was a testament to as much. "Still have a _little_ complex over our height, do we? I thought you'd grown out of that." She chuckled inappropriately. "Oops. No pun intended."

She gave a vaguely uninterested yawn. "Why are you here, Sienna?"

Finding that her attempt at humor had fallen dreadfully flat, "I came for my children."

"You mean, my children?"

Sending an anxious look towards the '_guy_,' she rose from her steel-backed chair. "What are you talking about, Abigail?"

"You know, big sister." The elder woman smoothed down the side of her worn-in jeans. She was also wary of her weight. "Why are you terrorizing my babies?"

"Hey, who do you --" She took a menacing step towards Abbey, but was thwarted by a quick denial by Ron standing right behind Abbey.

"Don't even think about it."

She was intimidated by the towering man, but didn't show as much. "So you're having Jed's minions fight your battles for you?"

Sparing Ron a grateful look, she stole her sister's step. "They're not Jed's minions. They're his loyalists. They'd do anything for him, or me. I'm here fighting, not for me, but for our children that you neglected and abandoned."

"I told you I was leaving them."

"You didn't allow us to make the decision unanimously. You just left."

"I trusted that you would do the right thing."

"That's crap and you know it. You left them here, because you couldn't be bothered to care for them. You knew how it would make Jed and I feel and you still left them here with us. We know what you've done to them, what you let _Skippy_ here do to them. If your little scheme, whatever it was, had succeeded, you would've gladly never come back. You failed and the only joy you could find out of this fiasco was to hurt me."

Faced with a scathing account of her own personality, Sienna had little to say. "What do you want from me, Abbey? I just want to get Toby and Lesly and go home. That's all. You won't have to deal with us again after that."

"No."

"No?"

She wet her lips and set her stance. "No. You're not taking them."

Having forgotten Ron concealed by the door, both she and the '_guy_' took malicious steps towards her. She didn't back down, feeling no fear at the prospect of being harmed to protect her children.

"They're not yours."

"In the eyes of God they are."

"In they eyes of the law, they belong to me."

"Children don't belong to anyone. They're not your property. They're your gift, my gift. We gave them to you, Sienna. You hurt them, again and again. What you did to Toby is inexcusable. What you put Lesly through… They have nightmares," she shouted. "In the beginning, it was every single night. Now, it's less often but it still happens. Si-Si, he gets scared when he makes a mess. Sometimes, he wets the bed. He's terrified that we're going to hit him…" She had to stop; she couldn't say anymore.

"I never touched him."

"Obviously. But you never stopped anyone else from touching him either. It was your job as his mother, to keep him safe."

"He would've beaten me." Her muddy eyes turned golden in the harsh halogen light. The '_guy_' watched with growing apprehension.

Abbey anguish turned to fury. "You should've let him!" Her sister gasped. "If he'd hit you he wouldn't have hurt Toby, or Les. Then, you should've left him, and taken the kids. You could've come to us. We would've protected you."

"You hated me!" Anything to justify her actions. The most incredible excuses she could dig up would never cover her failings.

"You think I hated you," she scoffed. "How do you think I felt when you took my daughter and disappeared? If I didn't despise you before, I did then. But never more than when I woke up at three in the morning to my son screaming bloody murder and his sister begging him to be quiet so that he wouldn't get them put out. If I never hated you before, through sheer blood relation, I hated you then. And I allowed that same expectation and hate to keep me away from my babies for days, because I was waiting for you to snatch them back from my arms, just like you did from my womb. I waited for the disappointment. I waited to have to pick up the pieces of my husband's soul when his kids were gone like a dream. But days passed, and weeks and you were nowhere to be found. I vainly thought that you'd done well enough that you'd stay away from us. I thought you were finally finished destroying our lives."

"But lo and behold, you and _'guy,'_ " she gestured to the fuming man in the corner, "had the nerve to make an appearance at their school. You had poor Toby unnerved beyond all hope of a good night sleep. He was so scared; he couldn't keep his dinner down. He was so upset, wouldn't let Jed go for hours. He was so off-balance that rest didn't come until well past exhaustion. He only slept in the day, and watched the bedroom door all night. He missed school for a week until he was certain that you'd come and gone. Only then, did he stop trembling and clinging. Only then, did he eat. Just the thought of you, the sight of you nearly killed my little boy. The same little boy you battered in utero. You didn't give him what his growing body craved and he came out flawed. Tell me, did you hate him because of the same flaws you inflicted on him?"

"I never hated my son."

"You treated him like a disease. You attacked him like chemotherapy does a cancer. You don't attack or allow your children to be attacked. Why did you just stand by?" She said nothing. Abbey wondered if she ever felt shame. "Answer me! Tell me, why Mr. Not-Your-Husband was allowed to molest my kid."

"I never touched that boy! I don't do that." He had the insolence to be indignant.

She turned to him malevolently. "You'll have to forgive my disbelief. I don't know you that well."

"You should go around accusing people that way, baby sister. You'll accuse the wrong person one of these days."

"Don't threaten me or presume to give me a warning of any kind. You are the one who will be warned. The children will only leave these grounds under Secret Service protection, and then only to go Manchester and to school. That means, in case I wasn't clear, they're not leaving with you and Mikey-Mike over there."

He knew he'd been insulted, but he didn't see what he could do about it. "I didn't do whatever you're talking about. Si-Si, tell her I didn't hurt Toby." He'd never even met the boy.

"Yes, Si-Si, tell me." Her tone stated plainly that she wouldn't believe him even if she did.

"He didn't do it, Abbey. It wasn't him. He's just some guy I met." She shrugged awkwardly. "I liked him." She could really pick her men.

"Are you lying to me, Sienna Caroline? Because if you are, I will know."

"He didn't hurt him. I promise, Abbey. He's a really good guy."

"See."

Abbey's frown told him to shut the hell up and be quick about it. "Then, who did hurt them?"

"There was this other guy I met. He was really great. I thought he loved me. He was crazy about Toby and got along all right with Lesly." She dropped her sister's accusing eyes and stroked the blank gray interrogation table. "I didn't know what he was doing to them. I swear, I didn't know."

"But you found out, didn't you?"

She nodded, finally looking abashed. "I came in on him. In the middle of the night. He had his hand on the back of Toby's neck," she touched her own in remembrance. "Lesly was fighting him, but he was holding her against his side with his other hand over her mouth. They were crying. He was," she hiccupped, "so serious, so intent on what he was doing. What he was doing was…"she gagged, "taking Toby's hope away."

"What did you do?"

"I tried to stop him, of course. I tried to pull him off my kids. But he was bigger, stronger, and angrier than me. And I was angry. I was. I was also confused. How could the best thing in my life go so wrong? He adored them, or he pretended to. Who does that do to a boy like him, to any boy?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Abbey came closer, but didn't extend a hand to her sister. Her sister was an Oscar-worthy performer. She was still prepared for any deception.

"Who would believe me? I am your big sister. I've never been anything except the one who failed first. I should've been you, Abbey. But I'm not. I've never been good at a thing in my life, except failing to meet every expectation you surpassed. He…" she began to falter here. "He was a doctor, a respected Philadelphia doctor and I was his harlot. Who cared about me and what I said? He said I was drunk all the time and that's what they believed." She wiped her blotchy face with the back of her hand.

"I made him leave, but he kept calling. Reynold was long gone. He's been gone a long time. I took them out of Philly and brought them to New York, hoping the change of scenery would make it better. But it didn't make anything better. You're right, there were nightmares. The screams were terrible. I couldn't deal, so I left them here. It wasn't so much how badly they were hurt as how angry they were. Not with me, with themselves." She took a deep breath and clinched her fists, chancing a look at Abbey. Her expression was unreadable. "I don't get kids. I don't get how their minds work and how they take these great responsibilities meant for us. I tried to help. I couldn't. I knew you, who could do anything, would be able to heal them. You're the doctor, the natural born mother, the nurturer. So, I made up some story that Jed would no doubt believe and I went away."

"Why come back, then?"

She chuckled wryly. "I missed them, believe it or not. And, yes, I wanted to hurt you a little bit. It's the only way I know how to reach you."

"Call. You could've called." Neither of them was great at communication.

"Would you have answered?"

Abbey's cheeks colored in acknowledgement of her own prejudice. "Eventually, sure."

"Eventually might've been too late for all of us."

"I still want to know why you came back." Abbey's was determined in her resolve, even as it weakened beneath her filial piety. She was deferring her needs and desires to those of her older sister as she had to Jed's in the past. The outcome of that decision would be left to history, but this one was up to her.

"I want my babies back."

Abbey rested a hand on her hip with a grip so firm it wrinkled the fabric of her skirt. '_Off like a Band-Aid, Abigail_.' "That's unfortunate for you, then, because you're _still_ not taking my children. End of discussion. Have a nice evening and a safe trip home. Please do visit again." She graced them with her best 'First Lady' smile. "Ron, please show our guests out, if you would." She nodded to him and left the room.

"Yes, ma'am. If both of you would follow me." His stern glance assured them that they'd be leaving whether or not they were ready to go.

Abbey hurried back to the Residence and found her family gathered in the kitchen, breakfast left untouched in front of each of them. First thing, before a word was said, she kissed each of her babies; Les, Toby and Zoey. She lingered last at Jed, still not saying anything and touched his face tenderly. He knew. That would be enough for now.

She turned back to the children. "Why aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry?"

Zoey, leaning gloomily on her hand, mumbled, "Not really, no."

She rubbed her elder daughter's back soothingly and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "Then pretend for me. This is good as it gets, with the five of us together. Enjoy it. It may not last."

She looked up at her mother and just like that she knew too. "Guys, we should eat. We can't go to the amusement park if we don't eat, can we, mom?"

She leaned over the counter, following Zoey's lead off the bat. "Of course not. It's freezing out there. You'll catch your death of a cold without something warm in you. Eat. All of you," she finished giving Jed a pointed look.

His countenance hotly protested, but vocally he conceded. "Do as she says. Or we will all be staying inside. Doctor's orders." He gestured to Abbey with his fork for emphasis. Grudgingly, Les and Toby picked up their forks and began nibbling their way through plates of cooling eggs, bacon, and toast. It was slow going and tasted vaguely of a bad memory all the way down.

"See how well things go when you just do as I say?" It was a fair attempt to lighten the mood.

"Of course, we do, dear," he returned over his picking at his eggs without gusto. He couldn't eat, he couldn't drink. His glass was sat untouched and his toast was hardening in the sharp morning chill. What an example he set. She came from beside Zoey to behind him, retaking her earlier position of her arms wrapped lazily around his neck.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Just eating." He proceeded to push his eggs around his bacon so it at least looked like he'd eaten some of them.

She chuckled dryly. "That is the most unproductive eating I think I've ever seen. Can we try to jumpstart the process by maybe putting some of it in our mouths?"

He collected a bunch of eggs on his fork and held it up for her. "You actually want to eat this? Because you're welcome to it."

"No, no, honey. That's all yours. I'll get something later." Her smirk assured him that it would be better than what was on his plate by any means.

"Diabolical." He accused her.

"Selfless." She denied him. And he didn't disagree.

"Wicked." But how he did love to play with her.

"Altruistic." She read the thesaurus too.

He gave up all pretend of eating and put down his fork. "Mine." He reached for one of her hands.

She let him take one and held him tighter in her embrace, whispering finally, "Yours."

There were some things she was sure of. Not many things, given what had just happened. But she was sure of this. She was his, he was hers, and their union was one thing her sister could never batter nor destroy.

And their future belonged to them.


End file.
